Third Annual Kryon Cruise ~ September 1- 8, 2002 ~ Ship: "Voyager of the Seas" GRAND CAYMAN PHOTOS Photos by Lee Carroll and Gary Liljegren - underwater cameras!

Lots of photos... Be patient while they load!!

Information: Columbus discovered Little Cayman and Cayman Brac during his fourth and last voyage to the New World, on May 10, 1503. While sailing from Panama to Hispaniola, severe winds pushed his ships off course west. The islands were later named Lagartos, meaning alligator or large lizard and finally, the name Caymanas was applied around 1540, derived from the Carib word for marine crocodile. The islands came under British control in 1655 when Jamaica was captured from the Spanish by Oliver Cromwell's army. For almost 300 years after that, the islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica. Then came the Kryon cruise group in 2002 to play with the stingrays, and now the island is for sale. (only kidding about the last part)

Yikes! We're going to swim with STINGRAYS? You have to be kidding!

(above left) We (Lee, Len and Mary Ellen) pose for the ship's photographer and the obligatory "We are on the dock" photo. Lee is on his way to swim with stingrays. Len and Mary Ellen wisely pass on that, and are going to play with tigers, instead (above middle) Barbra Dillenger and attendee Wendy MacCloud, on the way to Stingray City.

What? Me worry?

(right and directly below) I don't think we are alone here! Hundreds come for this experience. The stingrays love to return daily to this very shallow sandbar, about 3 miles off the island. They are fed (of course), and they are extremely gentle. Even so, it's a bit freaky to have them go between your legs, and brush up against you. Some of us decided to pet them too! What do they feel like? You don't want to know.

It kind of went like this: "Here fishy fishy... nice stingray. Hey, you're not quite so small, are you? Okay.. close enough... GET AWAY ... GET AWAY!!"

"Nice Human... nice Human... have any squid for me today? You know what I can do, huh? Any squid? Nice legs you have there... any squid? Want to see my stinger?"

(above) "Here fishy fishy... nice stingray. Come to Lee's underwater camera" Is that really Lee Carroll? Yep! What, no tie? (below) Barbra pets the thing! Yikes! Hope she has squid.

(left) Barbra and Michael (above) Lee Carroll (blub!)

(above) Connie Okelberry pets one too! (gasp!) Hey Connie! Stop looking at the camera, and watch that thing!

(above) Barbra Dillenger on the boat. (above) Gary Liljegren disguises himself as a member of the "Blue Man Group" to fool the stingrays into... what? It didn't work. They thought he was a blue squid.

(right) Finally, the guy in dark glasses (the local stingray wrangler) lets Lee Carroll pet the creature. We think it was a dead one, however... too much squid.

Goodbye Stingray city!!